Sling



y 16, 1967 N. A. PERKINS 3,319,852

SLING Filed Aug. 27, 1965 uunmmuiwmnuw INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,319,852 SLING Neale A. Perkins, 190 Oak Meadow Road,

Sierra Madre, Calif. 91024 Filed Aug. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 483,249

1 (Ilaim. (Cl. 224-1) This invention relates to a sling or carrying strap for an elongated article such as a rifle.

Slings have long been used to suspend or support rifles and similar firearms from a shooters arm or shoulder in either a carrying position or a firing position. Such slings have typically been formed of an elongated leather strap, each end of which is formed into a loop. Metal buckles or double-headed studs are commonly used to secure the loops and to allow adjustment of the length of the sling. The sling is attached to the rifle by passing the loop portions through swiveled metal eyes or D rings which are secured to the stock of the rifle.

It is often necessary to change the length of a sling, either to fit it to different shooters or to adjust it from a carrying position to a firing position. This is a slow and cumbersome operation with a conventional sling because the sling parts must be unbuckled and possibly re-threaded through the various buckle parts. Furthermore, the typical buckle arrangement allows only a limited number of strap-length adjustments corresponding to the number of buckle-engaging holes in the strap. Thus, the shooter may not be able to achieve the precise sling length he desires.

Another problem with conventional slings is that metal buckles and other metal parts on the sling may scratch or mar the wood stock or the various metal parts of the gun. This problem is particularly acute with high-quality firearms which may have elaborately checked and engraved stocks and metal parts.

The sling of this invention is simple and economical to manufacture, and overcomes the problems discussed above. The sling includes a length adjustment which can be secured at any desired position without the restrictions imposed by the conventional buckle-engaging holes. The hazard of scratching or marring the gun finish is eliminated, and the carrying strap is comfortable to use.

These advantages are in part achieved by using a thistle-cloth fastener on the sling. Thistle-cloth fasteners, sold under the trademark Velcro, comprise a first 'body of pile material and a second body of hook material. The pile material includes many small loops, and the hook material includes many small barb-like hooks. When these materials are pressed against each other, the hooks engage the loops to secure the two bodies of material together.

The bodies of hook and loop material are easily separated for adjustment of fastener position by moving them apart with a peeling motion. Such fasteners are inexpensive, and can be engaged and separated many times without noticeable wear. The thistle-cloth pile material is relatively soft and resilient, and will not scratch or abrade either the various parts of the firearm or the clothing and skin of the shooter.

Briefly stated, the sling of this invention includes an elongated flexible strap having first and second ends. A body of thistle-cloth hooks are secured to a face of the strap adjacent the first end. An elongated body of thistlecloth pile is secured to the face of the strap adjacent the body of thistle-cloth hooks to extend toward the second end of the strap. Means are secured to the strap for forming the second end into a loop.

The invention will be further described with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a sling constructed according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the sling shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of a fastener securing a loop formed at one end of the sling;

dFIG. 4 is a side view of the sling mounted on a rifle; an

FIG. 5 is a side view of an alternative form of the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a sling 10 of this invention includes an elongated flexible strap 11 formed of a material such as leather. Secured to a face and at one end of the strap is a body of thistle-cloth hook material 13. An elongated body of thistle-cloth pile material 14 is secured to the face of the strap adjacent the body of hook material and extending toward the opposite end of the strap. The bodies of hook and pile material are secured to the strap by cementing, stitching or any convenient means.

In one form of the invention, the end of the strap opposite the hook material includes two spaced-apart holes 16. As shown in FIG. 3, th s end of the strap is folded back upon itself to align holes 16 and to form a loop 18 1n the strap. A post-screw fastener having an internally threaded socket 20 and a binder-head screw 21 is inserted through holes 16 to secure the loop in place. FIG. 4 illustrates the use of the sling on a rifle 24 having a conventional D ring 25 secured adjacent the butt end of the rifle stock and a second D ring 26 secured to the stock forearm. Loop 18 of the sling is threaded through ring 25 and secured in place with a post screw as just described. A conventional keeper 28 is installed around the sling over the post-screw to strengthen the loop and protect the gun stock from abrasion by the post-screw socket.

The other end of the sling is threaded through D ring 26 and folded back upon itself to form a second loop 29. When the sling has ben adjusted to a desired length, the body of thistle-cloth hook material is pressed against pile material 14. This causes the hooks to engage the loops of the pile material, fastening the two bodies of thistle-cloth material securely together. A second keeper 31? may be installed over the second loop adjacent D ring 26 to strengthen the loop and keep the overlapping strap portions in alignment.

Adjustments in sling length are easily accomplished by separating the two bodies of thistle-cloth material and sliding the strap through D ring 26 until the desired length is attained. The bodies of thistle-cloth material are easily separated by using a peeling motion beginning at one edge of the engaged materials. When the length adjustment is completed, the hook and pile material are re-engaged simply by pressing them together.

An alternative form of the invention is shown in FIG. 5, and it is similar to the configuration just described, except loop 18 is secured in place with a thistle-cloth fastener. In this form, a first body of thistle-cloth hook material 32 is secured adjacent one end of a strap 33, and a second body of thistle-cloth hook material 34 is secured adjacent the other end of the strap. Extending between the two bodies of hook material is an elongated body of thistle-cloth pile material 36.

Hook material 32 is engaged with the pile material to form forearm loop 29 of the sling as described above. Hook material 34 is engaged with the pile material to form butt-end loop 18 of the sling. This alternative form of the invention is advantageous in that no metal parts are used, no holes need be punched in the strap, and the step of assembling a post-screw fastener is eliminated.

The thistle-cloth pile material is relatively soft and resilient, forming a cushion along the length of the sling. The cushioning effect of this material is especially noticeable in the doubled portion of the strap which forms the forearm loop. This portion of the sling rests on the shooters shoulder when the gun is in a normal carrying position, and the cushioning effect of the pile material makes the sling very comfortable to use.

Although the sling has been described in terms of its application as a carrying strap for a rifle, it is to be understood that its use is not restricted to this specific field. The sling has utility in carrying other types of elongated objects. For example, it may be used to carry a bag of golf clubs or any other elongated container which is suspended from the shoulder of the user.

I claim:

An adjustable sling for a rifle having a pair of spacedapart D rings secured thereto, comprising an elongated flexible strap having first and second ends, the second end having a pair of spaced-apart holes, a body of thistlecloth hooks secured to a face of the strap adjacent the first end, an elongated body of thistle-cloth pile secured to said face of the strap adjacent the body of thistle-cloth hooks and extending toward the second end, the first end being threaded through one respective D ring and folded back in a loop to be secured by the thistle-cloth hooks to the thistle-cloth pile, a first keeper disposed over the looped first end around the engaged bodies of thistlecloth hooks and pile, a post screw extending through the holes in the second end to secure the second end in a loop threaded through the other respective D ring, and a second keeper disposed over the looped second end to cover the post screw.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

F. E. WERNER, Assistant Examiner. 

